Chair's Introductory remarks, Regional Conferences
Welcome everyone to the London regional (Midlands, North-West, Northern) launch of the Institute of Assessors, following our national launch on 9 May. I'm sure that you already feel at home answering questions -multiple choice and e-based as well! It's the brave new world of assessment.
And into that brave new world comes the Institute of Assessors of which, to my great delight, I've been appointed the Chair. Some of you will know that apart from 7 very happy years as a teacher in both primary and secondary schools, I spent my entire career working in awarding bodies which provided examinations across the academic/vocational spectrum - CSE, GCE, GCSE and GNVQ. I retired from my post as AQA's Director General in 2003 and found that life without examinations was very pleasant indeed! I enjoy my freedom.
You might ask, why give up that freedom to come and chair the Institute? There's a simple answer: I have always believed passionately that good assessment is an essential part of good teaching and that the key to good teaching and assessment are well informed, expert teachers. The most rewarding and personally satisfying work I did in my years in awarding bodies was helping teachers to improve their assessment practices for the benefit of students. So, when I heard that this long-overdue Institute was being established, I wanted to be part of a unique opportunity to support assessors and to encourage others, to give teachers a new-found confidence in their skills, to raise the status of assessment and to change public attitudes towards assessment. If the Institute can achieve all that, the real winners will be the students for whom education and assessment open doors to good careers and a happy and fulfilled life. Assessors too will benefit from improved status and public trust.
That's enough of me and my motivation for becoming involved with the Institute. Let me ask some questions about you so that we can get a full picture of the make up of the conference. I'll start with a cheeky question:
- What is your age group?
- What is your role within assessment?
- How do you prepare for assessment?
- How would you rate your personal skills at assessment?
Thank you for that. Now, a few words about the Institute.
I want to make clear that membership of the Institute will be voluntary; there will be no press-ganged recruits. It will be up to the Institute, therefore, to attract to membership all those involved in or interested in assessment. We want you, the assessors, to share our excitement and enthusiasm for assessment and to want to join the Institute.
We also want to work collaboratively with the teacher associations, with the awarding bodies, NAA and the Regulators and other learned bodies such as the GTCE and the College of Teachers to establish the Institute. It is so important to have their support as we establish the Institute in its own right (like other Institutions such as the Civil Engineers and Chemists) as an independent focal point for all those interested and involved in assessment. It will be the Institute's aim to raise the standard of debate about assessment by speaking with authority and independence, thereby establishing a yardstick by which professional standards might be measured.
Today's regional launch is our first opportunity to talk directly with individuals involved in assessment and we're grateful to you all for joining us today. It will be the Institute's job, with your help, to keep the buzz in assessment as we move into the future. I hope today will be an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for you all.